Bowhead whale

(Redirected from Balaena mysticetus)

The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is an Arctic baleen whale, a right whale with a large, bow-shaped head that is up to 40% of its body length. The arched mouth is up to 10 feet (3 m) wide and 20 feet (6 m) deep. The eyes are very small and lips are huge. Bowheads live in pods, are rich in blubber (a subcutaneous layer 20-inch (50 cm) thick in places), and have 2 blowholes.

Balaena, Balaena mysticetus
Temporal range: Earliest Pleistocene-Present
Bowheads42.jpg
Bowhead whale size.svg
Size comparison against an average human
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
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Genus:
Balaena
Species:
B. mysticetus
Binomial name
Balaena mysticetus
Cetacea range map Bowhead Whale.png
Bowhead whale range

Bowhead Whale Media

References

  1. {{{assessors}}} (2008). Balaena mysticetus. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2008. Retrieved on {{{downloaded}}}.

Other websites

  Media related to Bowhead whale at Wikimedia Commons
  Data related to Balaena mysticetus at Wikispecies